Comparison of Work Patterns Between Physicians and Advanced Practice Practitioners in Primary Care and Specialty Practice Settings.

Importance: Despite the increasing involvement of advanced practice practitioners (APPs; ie, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) in care delivery across specialties, the work patterns of APPs compared with physicians and how they are integrated into care teams have not been well characterized. Objective: To characterize differences between physicians and APPs across specialty types related to days with appointments, visit types seen, and time spent using the electronic health record (EHR). Design, Setting, and Participants: This nationwide, cross-sectional study used EHR data from physicians and APPs (ie, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) at all US institutions that used Epic Systems' EHR between January and May 2021. Data analysis was performed from March 2022 to April 2023. Main Outcomes and Measures: Appointment scheduling patterns, percentage of new and established and level of evaluation and management (E/M) visits, and EHR use metrics per day and week. Results: The sample consisted of 217 924 clinicians across 389 organizations, including 174 939 physicians and 42 985 APPs. Although primary care physicians were more likely than APPs to have more than 3 days per week with appointments (50 921 physicians [79.5%] vs 17 095 APPs [77.9%]), this trend was reversed for medical (38 645 physicians [64.8%] vs 8124 APPs [74.0%]) and surgical (24 155 physicians [47.1%] vs 5198 APPs [51.7%]) specialties. Medical and surgical specialty physicians saw 6.7 and 7.4 percentage points, respectively, more new patient visits than did their APP counterparts, whereas primary care physicians saw 2.8 percentage points fewer new patient visits than did APPs. Physicians saw a greater percentage of level 4 or 5 visits across all specialties. Medical and surgical physicians spent 34.3 and 45.8 fewer minutes per day, respectively, using the EHR than did APPs in their specialties, whereas primary care physicians spent 17.7 minutes per day more. These differences translated to primary care physicians spending 96.3 minutes more per week using the EHR than APPs, whereas medical and surgical physicians spent 149.9 and 140.7 fewer minutes, respectively, than did their APP counterparts. Conclusions and Relevance: This cross-sectional, national study of clinicians found significant differences in visit and EHR patterns for physicians compared with APPs across specialty types. By underscoring the different current usage of physicians vs APPs across specialty types, this study helps place into context the work and visit patterns of physicians compared with APPs and serves as a foundation for evaluations of clinical outcomes and quality.

Hospital Occupancy and its Effect on Emergency Department Evaluation.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To examine whether hospital occupancy was associated with increased testing and treatment during emergency department (ED) evaluations, resulting in reduced admissions. METHODS: We analyzed the electronic health records of an urban academic ED. We linked data from all ED visits from October 1, 2010, to May 29, 2015, with daily hospital occupancy (inpatients/total staffed beds). Outcome measures included the frequency of laboratory testing, advanced imaging, medication administration, and hospitalizations. We modeled each outcome using multivariable negative binomial or logistic regression, as appropriate, and examined their association with daily hospital occupancy quartiles, controlling for patient and visit characteristics. We calculated the adjusted outcome rates and relative changes at each daily hospital occupancy quartile using marginal estimating methods. RESULTS: We included 270,434 ED visits with a mean patient age of 48.1 (standard deviation 19.8) years; 40.1% were female, 22.8% were non-Hispanic Black, and 51.5% were commercially insured. Hospital occupancy was not associated with differences in laboratory testing, advanced imaging, or medication administration. Compared with the first quartile, the third and fourth quartiles of daily hospital occupancy were associated with decreases of 1.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] -2.9 to -0.2; absolute change -0.6 percentage points [95% CI -1.2 to -0.1]) and 4.6% (95% CI -6.0 to -3.2; absolute change -1.9 percentage points [95% CI -2.5 to -1.3]) in hospitalizations, respectively. CONCLUSION: The lack of association between hospital occupancy and laboratory testing, advanced imaging, and medication administration suggest that changes in ED testing or treatment did not facilitate the decrease in admissions during periods of high hospital occupancy.

Knowledge and Practices of Female Nurses at Primary Health Care Clinics in Gaza Strip-Palestine Regarding Early Detection of Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer deaths among females in Palestine. Female nurses play a vital role in increasing women's awareness of BC early detection. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices of female nurses at Primary Health Care Clinics (PHCCs) in the Gaza Strip regarding early detection of BC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is an analytical, cross-sectional study with a census sample that includes all target female nurses (152) currently working at PHCCs. The study was conducted during the period February 2019 - March 2020.  A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data among female nurses. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used to examine the relationship between the variables. Ethical approval was obtained from a Helsinki Committee Gaza Strip-Palestine. RESULTS: The nurses demonstrated a good knowledge of signs and risk factors of BC,  with scores of 85.3% and 77.9%, respectively. The majority of the participants correctly defined breast self-examination (BSE) and claimed that clinical breast examination (CBE) is a useful tool to detect BC (94.1% and 97.4%, respectively). Nurses who had previous training in CBE had better knowledge than those who had not (t = 3.5; P-value <0.001). Nurses who previously performed mammography had a knowledge score (mean ± SD = 78.1±12.8) higher than those who did not (mean ± SD = 72.5±14). Nurses having previous training had a knowledge score of 8.9 times higher than those without relevant training (t = 4.2, P-value < 0.001). Nurses' knowledge of BC risk factors  increased the practicing score by a factor of 0.22 (t = 3.0, P-value = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Nurses demonstrate good knowledge and practices of early BC detection. Previous education sessions affect the knowledge of early detection methods positively.

Differences in the number of services provided by nurse practitioners and physicians during primary care visits.

BACKGROUND: Due to differential training, nurse practitioners (NPs) and physicians may provide different quantities of services to patients. PURPOSE: To assess differences in the number of laboratory, imagining, and procedural services provided by primary care NPs and physicians. METHODS: Secondary analysis of 2012-2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), containing 308 NP-only and 73,099 physician-only patient visits, using multivariable regression and propensity score techniques. FINDINGS: On average, primary care visits with NPs versus physicians were associated with 0.521 fewer laboratory (95% CI -0.849, -0.192), and 0.078 fewer imaging services (95% CI -0.103,-0.052). Visits for routine and preventive care with NPs versus physicians were associated with 1.345 fewer laboratory (95% CI -2.037,-0.654), and 0.086 fewer imaging services (95% CI -0.118,-0.054) on average. Primary care visits for new problems with NPs versus physicians were associated with 0.051 fewer imaging services (95% CI -0.094,-0.007) on average. DISCUSSION: NPs provide fewer laboratory and imaging services than physicians during primary care visits.

Association between the nurse-led program with mental health status, quality of life, and heart failure rehospitalization in chronic heart failure patients.

ABSTRACT: The nurse-led program is associated with a short-term improvement of mental health status (MHS) and quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Nonetheless, the long-term effect of this program is undetermined. The aims of the current study were to evaluate the 1-year effects of the nurse-led program on MHS, QOL, and heart failure (HF) rehospitalization among patients with CHF.CHF patients in the control group received standard care, and patients in the treatment group received standard care plus telehealth intervention including inquiring patients' medical condition, providing feedbacks, counseling and providing positive and emotional talk with the patients. At the third, sixth, and twelfth month's follow-up, patients were called by registered nurses to assess the Mental Health Inventory-5 (MHI-5) and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) scores. HF rehospitalization was also assessed.A total of 300 patients were included and 46% (n = 138) of the patients were in the treatment group. There were no significant between-group differences in the MHI-5 and KCCQ scores at baseline. In the control group, the MHI-5 score was gradually decreased with follow-up and the score was significantly lower than that in the treatment group since the third month's follow-up (63.5 ±â€Š10.6 vs 73.6 ±â€Š10.3). Compared with the treatment group, KCCQ score was lower in the control group from the third month's follow-up (64.3 ±â€Š10.6 vs 73.5 ±â€Š12.3) until the end of the twelfth months' follow-up (45.3 ±â€Š11.2 vs 60.8 ±â€Š11.1). During 12 months' follow-up, the proportion of patients who experienced HF rehospitalization was lower in the treatment group (19.6% vs 24.1%). After adjusting for covariates, the utilization of the nurse-led program, and increase of MHI-5 and KCCQ scores were associated with reduced risk of HF rehospitalization.The nurse-led program is beneficial for the improvement of MHS and QOL for CHF patients, which might contribute to the reduction of HF rehospitalization.

Documented diabetes care among older people receiving home care services: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Home care services plays an important role in diabetes management, and to enable older adults remain home-dwellers. Adequate follow-up and systematic nursing documentation are necessary elements in high quality diabetes care. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the diabetes treatment and management for older persons with diabetes receiving home care services. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was used to assess the diabetes treatment and management in a Norwegian municipality. Demographic (age, sex, living situation) and clinical data (diabetes diagnose, type of glucose lowering treatment, diabetes-related comorbidities, functional status) were collected from electronic home care records. Also, information on diabetes management; i.e. follow-up routines on glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), self-monitoring of blood glucose, insulin administration and risk factors (blood pressure, body mass index and nutritional status) were registered. HbA1c was measured upon inclusion. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied in the data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 92 home care records from older home-dwelling persons with diabetes, aged 66-99 years were assessed. Only 52 (57 %) of the individuals had the diabetes diagnosis documented in the home care record. A routine for self-monitoring of blood glucose was documented for 27 (29 %) of the individuals. Only 2 (2 %) had individual target for HbA1c documented and only 3 (3 %) had a documented routine for measuring HbA1c as recommended in international guidelines. Among 30 insulin treated older individuals, a description of the insulin regimen lacked in 4 (13 %) of the home care records. Also, documentation on who performed self-monitoring of blood glucose was unclear or lacking for 5 (17 %) individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates lack of documentation in home care records with respect to diagnosis, treatment goals and routines for monitoring of blood glucose, as well as insufficient documentation on responsibilities of diabetes management among older home-dwelling adults living with diabetes. This indicates that home care services may be suboptimal and a potential threat to patient safety.

Comparison of Aerodigestive and Nonaerodigestive Provider Responses to Clinical Case Vignettes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate differences in practice patterns between aerodigestive and nonaerodigestive providers in pediatric gastroenterology when diagnosing and treating common aerodigestive complaints. STUDY DESIGN: A questionnaire comprised of clinical vignettes with multiple-choice questions was distributed to both aerodigestive and nonaerodigestive pediatric gastroenterologists. Vignettes focused on management of commonly encountered general gastroenterology and aerodigestive issues, such as gastroesophageal (GE) reflux, aspiration, and feeding difficulties. Tests of equal proportions were used to compare rates of testing and empiric therapy within and across groups. Multivariate analysis was used to assess differences in response rates between aerodigestive and nonaerodigestive providers. RESULTS: A total of 88 pediatric gastroenterologists from 18 institutions completed the questionnaire. There were 35 aerodigestive gastroenterology providers and 53 nonaerodigestive gastroenterology providers. The nonaerodigestive group included 31 general gastroenterologists and 22 providers with self-identified subspecialty gastroenterology expertise. Aerodigestive specialists were more likely than nonaerodigestive gastroenterologists to pursue testing over empiric therapy in cases involving isolated respiratory symptoms (P < .05); aerodigestive providers were more likely to recommend pH-impedance testing, videofluoroscopic swallow studies, and upper gastrointestinal barium study (P < .05 for each test) depending on the referring physician. For vignettes involving infant GE reflux, both groups chose empiric treatments more frequently than testing (P < .001), although aerodigestive providers were more likely than nonaerodigestive providers to pursue testing like upper gastrointestinal barium studies (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Although some practice patterns were similar between groups, aerodigestive providers pursued more testing than nonaerodigestive providers in several clinical scenarios including infants with respiratory symptoms and GE reflux.

Reducing restrictive practice: a pertinent issue for children's services.

The reduction of restrictive practice has gained momentum in mental health services and it is now becoming evident in mainstream adult services. There remains confusion as to the definition of 'restrictive practices' across all sectors of health care, including the difference between 'restrictive practices' (such as attitudes of control, limit setting and unnecessary ward rules) and 'restrictive interventions' (including physical, chemical or mechanical restraint). This article highlights the relevance of restrictive practice to children's nursing and argues that the principles apply across all health provision. Acts of restrictive practice may result in challenging behaviour, or even restrictive interventions, strategies to minimise both restrictive practice and subsequent acts of challenging behaviour are explored. Behavioural support plans adopting a bio-psycho-pharmaco-social approach have been shown to be effective in both mental health and adult nursing and are recommended for use in children's nursing.

Barriers and enablers for midwives to use the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia's Endorsement for scheduled medicines for midwives.

BACKGROUND: In 2010, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia introduced a new registration standard: Endorsement for scheduled medicines for midwives. The endorsement enables midwives to provide women with Medicare-rebatable care, prescribe relevant medications, and order relevant Medicare-rebatable diagnostics. Translating endorsement education into clinical midwifery practice has been slow, indicating the presence of barriers affecting midwives' ability to use this standard, despite it increasing their scope for service provision. AIM: To discover the mechanisms affecting midwives' ability to work to full scope of practice after completing a programme of study leading to endorsement. METHODS: An observational (non-experimental) design was used. Midwives who had completed an education programme leading to endorsement were invited to complete a survey. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the quantitative questions and content analysis was conducted on the qualitative data. FINDINGS: Results indicated that barriers - such as the limitations of Medicare provisions for endorsed midwives and a general lack of support for the role - restrict endorsed midwives' ability to provide quality maternity services. Having some form of support for the role may act as an enabler, in addition to midwives having personal determination and confidence in their ability to use the endorsement. Recommendations to strengthen the endorsed midwife's role include facilitating endorsement use in the public sector, relaxing Medicare Benefit Schedule and Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme restrictions, raising awareness of the role and scope, and improving midwives' pre-endorsement preparation. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the need for an all-of-system approach to support and develop the endorsed midwife's role.

The Frequency and Content of Discussions About Alcohol Use in Primary Care and Application of the Chief Medical Officer's Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines: A Cross-Sectional Survey of General Practitioners and Practice Nurses in the UK.

AIMS: To examine how often general practitioners (GPs) and practice nurses (PNs) working in primary care discuss alcohol with patients, what factors prompt discussions, how they approach patient discussions and whether the Chief Medical Officers' (CMO) revised low-risk drinking guidelines are appropriately advised. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey with GPs and PNs working in primary care in the UK, conducted January-March 2017 (n = 2020). A vignette exercise examined what factors would prompt a discussion about alcohol, whether they would discuss before or after a patient reported exceeded the revised CMO guidelines (14 units per week) and whether the CMO drinking guidelines were appropriately advised. For all patients, participants were asked how often they discussed alcohol and how they approached the discussion (e.g. used screening tool). RESULTS: The most common prompts to discuss alcohol in the vignette exercise were physical cues (44.7% of participants) or alcohol-related symptoms (23.8%). Most practitioners (70.1%) said they would wait until a patient was exceeding CMO guidelines before instigating discussion. Two-fifths (38.1%) appropriately advised the CMO guidelines in the vignette exercise, with PNs less likely to do so than GPs (odds ratio [OR] = 0.77, P = 0.03). Less than half (44.7%) reportedly asked about alcohol always/often with all patients, with PNs more likely to ask always/often than GPs (OR = 2.22, P < 0.001). Almost three-quarters said they would enquire by asking about units (70.3%), compared to using screening tools. CONCLUSION: Further research is required to identify mechanisms to increase the frequency of discussions about alcohol and appropriate recommendation of the CMO drinking guidelines to patients.

Seventeen states enacted executive orders expanding advanced practice nurses' scopes of practice during the first 21 days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONTEXT: Rural hospitals in the USA are often served by advanced practice nurses, due to the difficulty for such facilities to recruit physicians. In order to facilitate a full range of services for patients, some states permit advanced practice nurses to practice with full independence. However, many states limit their scopes of practice, resulting in the potential for limited healthcare access in underserved areas. The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily upended these arrangements for several states, as 17 governors quickly passed waivers and suspensions of physician oversight restrictions. ISSUES: Physician resistance is a primary hurdle for states that limit advanced practice nurse scopes of practice. Longstanding restrictions were removed, however, in a short period of time. The pandemic demonstrated that even governors with strong political disagreements agreed on one way that healthcare access could potentially be improved. LESSONS LEARNED: Despite longstanding concerns over patient safety when advanced practice nurses practice with full autonomy, governors quickly removed practice restrictions when faced with a crisis situation. Implied in such behavior are that policymakers were aware of advanced practice nurses' capabilities prior to the pandemic, but chose not to implement full practice authority, and that governors appeared to disagree as to whether to temporarily waive specific restrictions or suspend restrictions entirely, consistent with their political affiliation. We propose more research into understanding whether or not such changes should become permanent.

The completion of partograms: knowledge, attitudes and practices of midwives in a public health obstetric unit in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

INTRODUCTION: most maternal and 24.3% of infant deaths occur during childbirth. Interventions during childbirth may reduce maternal and neonatal deaths. The Guidelines for maternity care in South Africa (2015) stipulates that all observations during labour should be recorded on a partogram. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of nursing personnel and to evaluate their practices of completing partograms at National District Hospital, South Africa. METHODS: a two-phase, quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study design was used. In phase 1, the knowledge and attitudes of midwives and nurses were evaluated. Midwives and nurses completed anonymous, self-administered questionnaires that assessed their knowledge and attitudes. In Phase 2, partogram practices were measured by assessing completed partograms using a data collection tick sheet. RESULTS: twelve of the 17 nursing personnel completed the questionnaires. More than 90% of participants answered basic partogram knowledge questions correctly, but only two thirds knew the criteria for obstructive labour and just more than half that for foetal distress. Participants displayed a positive attitude toward the use of partograms. Of the 171 randomly selected vaginal deliveries during the study period, only 57.1% delivered with a completed partogram. Most elements of foetal monitoring and progress of labour scored above 80%, however, for maternal monitoring scored poorly in 26.4% of cases. CONCLUSION: although 71.4% of partograms scored more than 75% for completion, the critical components that influence maternal and foetal death, like the identification of foetal distress, maternal wellbeing and progress of labour, were lacking.

The Impact of Nurse-Led Cardiac Rehabilitation on Quality of Life and Biophysiological Parameters in Patients With Heart Failure: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the Indian subcontinent, accounting for 38% of deaths annually. One cardiovascular disease in particular, heart failure, is a growing public health problem both in India and worldwide. PURPOSE: Heart failure is a chronic, progressive disease with increasing rates of incidence and prevalence. This study was conducted to determine the influence of a nurse-led cardiac rehabilitation program on quality of life and biophysiological parameters in patients with chronic heart failure. In this study, it was hypothesized that participants in the cardiac rehabilitation program would report significantly more-positive changes in quality of life and biophysiological parameters than their peers who did not participate in this program. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, the participants were patients with chronic heart failure who had been admitted to a tertiary care hospital in India. The participants assigned to the intervention group received both nurse-led cardiac rehabilitation and routine care. In addition, intervention group participants received a booklet on cardiac rehabilitation, Healthy Way to Healthy Heart, at discharge and fortnightly telephone reminders about good cardiac rehabilitation practices. A standard questionnaire was used to collect targeted information on participants' general and disease-specific quality of life at 1 and 3 months postintervention. Biophysiological parameters such as body mass index, blood pressure, and serum cholesterol values were also measured. RESULTS: Two thirds of the participants in each group (65% in the intervention group and 66% in the control group) were between 51 and 70 years old. The mean score for the mental component summary of generic quality of life steadily decreased in the control group and steadily increased in the intervention group at the first and second posttests. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nurses working in cardiology units play a pivotal role in educating and managing the health status of patients with heart failure. Providing cardiac rehabilitation to patients with heart failure benefits the quality of life of these patients. Nurses working in cardiology units should encourage patients with heart failure to practice cardiac rehabilitation for a longer period to further improve their quality of life.

Practice Patterns of Physicians and Nurse Practitioners in Primary Care.

BACKGROUND: Primary care practices increasingly include nurse practitioners (NPs), in addition to physicians. Little is known about how the patient mix and clinical activities of colocated physicians and NPs compare. OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical activities of NPs, compared with physicians. RESEARCH DESIGN: We used claims and electronic health record data from athenahealth Inc., on primary care practices in 2017 and a cross-sectional analysis with practice fixed effects. SUBJECTS: Patients receiving treatment from physicians and NPs within primary care practices. MEASURES: First, we measured patient characteristics (payer, age, sex, race, chronic condition count) and visit characteristics (new patient, scheduled duration, same-day visit, after-hours visit). Second, we measured procedures performed and diagnoses recorded during each visit. Finally, we measured daily quantity (visit volume, minutes scheduled for patient care, total work relative value units billed) of care. RESULTS: Relative to physicians, NPs treated younger and healthier patients. NPs also had a larger share of patients who were female, non-White, and covered by Medicaid, commercial insurance, or no insurance. NPs scheduled longer appointments and treated more patients on a same-day or after-hours basis. On average, "overlapping" services-those performed by NPs and physicians within the same practice-represented 92% of all service volume. The small share of services performed exclusively by physicians reflected greater clinical intensity. On a daily basis, NPs provided fewer and less intense visits than physicians within the same practice. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest considerable overlap between the clinical activities of colocated NPs and physicians, with some differentiation based on intensity of services provided.

[A gender-based approach to the career paths of private practice nurses and their nursing practices]. / Une approche par le genre des trajectoires professionnelles des infirmiers libéraux et de leurs pratiques de soins.

The article explores the private practice nursing profession from the angle of gender. The methodology is based on cross-referencing data taken from statistical and field surveys. The results show that men and women practise differently. Training paths, careers and professional activities are shaped by the caregivers' gender.

Streamlining Care in Crisis: Rapid Creation and Implementation of a Digital Support Tool for COVID-19.

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in rapidly evolving best practices for transmission reduction, diagnosis, and treatment. A regular influx of new information has upended traditionally static hospital protocols, adding additional stress and potential for error to an already overextended system. To help equip frontline emergency clinicians with up-to-date protocols throughout the evolving COVID-19 crisis, our team set out to create a dynamic digital tool that centralized and standardized resources from a broad range of platforms across our hospital. Using a design thinking approach, we rapidly built, tested, and deployed a solution using simple, out-of-the-box web technology that enables clinicians to access the specific information they seek within moments. This platform has been rapidly adopted throughout the emergency department, with up to 70% of clinicians using the digital tool on any given shift and 78.6% of users reporting that they "agree" or "strongly agree" that the platform has affected their management of COVID-19 patients. The tool has also proven easily adaptable, with multiple protocols being updated nearly 20 times over two months without issue. This paper describes our development process, challenges, and results to enable other institutions to replicate this process to ensure consistent, high-quality care for patients as the COVID-19 pandemic continues its unpredictable course.

Parental presence during painful or invasive procedures in neonatology: A survey of healthcare professionals.

BACKGROUND: Newborns in neonatology are exposed to invasive and painful procedures. The absence of parents during procedures revealed significantly high pain scores. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess practices regarding the role of parents during painful and invasive procedures. METHODS: This was a prospective, observational, multicenter study in France in which 471 caregivers participated. Professional practices regarding the role of parents during painful procedures on their child were assessed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with parental presence during painful procedures. RESULTS: Parental presence was most often allowed during capillary blood sampling, nasogastric tube insertions, and vein punctures, whereas it was mostly restricted during central line insertions, extubations, lumbar punctures, and intubations. However, we found discrepancies depending on the type of facility and caregiver seniority. CONCLUSION: An important variability in practices concerning the role of parents during painful and invasive procedures on their child was reported.

Engagement under difficult conditions: Caring for patients with acute abdominal pain across the acute-care chain: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Studies report that patients with acute abdominal pain do not always receive optimal care and can experience poor pain management, safety failures, and emotional harm. Deeper understanding of how health professionals experience care delivery is needed to improve care to patients with acute abdominal pain. AIM: To explore, from the perspective of registered nurses and physicians, how care is provided for patients with acute abdominal pain in the acute care chain, and to identify barriers that they describe in the delivery of care. METHOD: Registered nurses and physicians (n = 19) working in ambulance services, emergency departments, and surgical departments at five hospitals in Sweden were interviewed. A content analysis was performed. RESULTS: Five categories were identified; interaction: a decisive moment, competence and resources: not always available, guidelines: limited use, medical care: a main focus, and feedback and collaboration: limited across acute care chain. CONCLUSION: This study adds new insights relating to how health professionals reflect on patient needs and obstacles to satisfying them. To deliver high quality care and meet patients' fundamental needs, there is a need of general guidelines and close collaboration in the acute care chain.

Experiences of registered nurse prescribers; a qualitative study.

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the experiences of registered prescribers and their perceptions of the enablers and barriers to registered prescribing and the value of this fledgling role. Background: The role of prescribing has been extended to registered nurses in New Zealand. By adding the designated prescribing role to a nurse's role, their scope of practice expands and nurses are able to provide patients with holistic care while achieving greater independence and role satisfaction. Yet new nurse prescribers can experience anxiety and fear when confronted with the reality of the responsibility of prescribing. Methods: Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with registered nurse prescribers across New Zealand. Data were analysed using a general inductive approach and thematic analysis utilised to identify themes and sub-themes. Results: Sixteen registered nurse prescribers participated in the study. Three main themes emerged with sub-themes: ability to expand practice, improving access to care, and importance of working in a collaborative team. Participants explained how they enjoyed the challenge and responsibility of the new prescribing role yet were frustrated with the realities of the restrictions of what they could actually prescribe and in some cases lack of role recognition. Registered nurse prescribing also improved access to care as nurses felt they provided more comprehensive care, resulting in reduced wait times, better continuity of care and a reduction in patient costs. The participants highlighted the importance of working in a collaborative team and believed their ability to prescribe maximised clinician time, however cautioned the need for on-going clinical mentorship and a prepared and supportive work environment. Conclusions: The addition of registered nurse prescribing provides a number of advantages to individual nurses in terms of career development and job satisfaction, and to patients and the health care system. The benefits to health care consumers and the health care system align directly to health care priorities of improving equity and access to care. Impact statement: Registered nurse prescribers perceive a number of advantages to the addition of prescribing to their own practice and benefits to patients and the health care system by enabling more accessible and cost-effective care.